Contrasts

Jo Coburn

One thing that's often said about Andrew Neil is that, regardless of his own views, he's a fair interviewer, tough on politicians of all persuasions. 

The same can't, however, be said of many other BBC interviewers. 

Today's Sunday Politics saw Jo Coburn take the helm (Andrew Neil being away in the USA). She interviewed a pro-Hillary Conservative MP, Simon Burns, and a pro-Trump former UKIP leadership contender, Raheem Kassam. I bet you can guess how that turned out...

The contrast in tone and treatment was dramatic. Mr Burns got a gentle, friendly interview. He was only interrupted once and Jo apologised for it and didn't even go ahead with her question. Raheem, in contrast, was interrupted five times (with no apology) and received tougher questions and a far less friendly tone. The Simon Burns interview ended with Jo saying "Simon Burns, enjoy election night!", the Raheem Kassam interview ended with Jo saying, "All right, Raheem Kassam. I'm going to have to stop you there but thank you very much."

I believe that Andrew Neil would have treated his guests fairly. Not so Jo Coburn.